Longs raises $1 million for Make-A-Wish Foundation

After a two-year effort, Longs Drug Stores Corp. announced Friday it has raised a total of $1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Officials of the Walnut Creek-based retail drug store chain said the donations have helped grant the wishes of 150 children on the West Coast and Hawaii who have life-threatening illnesses. The donations were made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, based in Phoenix.

"Longs Drugs is proud to give back to the communities in which we live and serve," Warren F. Bryant, president and CEO of Longs, said in a statement.

"The Make-A-Wish Foundation shares our dream to enrich the lives of those around us. Together, our customers and employees have found 1 million ways to make a difference in these children's lives.

Among the wishes that have been granted as a result of the Longs donations are a backyard basketball court in Sacramento, a visit to a 400-year-old family-owned farm in England by a San Diego family, a turtle-themed bedroom in Santa Barbara, a visit to New York City by a Piedmont family, and several trips to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.